ATLANTA -- Had you known how crowded the injured list would become or how problematic the bullpen would be for a couple weeks, you likely wouldn’t have predicted the Braves would exit August with a division lead similar to the one with which they entered the month.\n\nBut such was the case after the resilient Braves concluded an eventful month with an 11-5 win over the White Sox on Saturday night at SunTrust Park. Atlanta owns a 5 1/2-game division lead over the Nationals, who gained just one game in the [National League East standings](https://www.mlb.com/braves/standings/2019-08-31) while producing MLB’s best winning percentage in August.\n\n• [Box score](https://www.mlb.com/gameday/567234/final/box)\n\n“As much as \\[the Nationals\\] have been surging, we’ve done a little surge of our own, right at the right time too because they’re hitting on all cylinders,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
This weekend’s three-game series and an upcoming two-game set against the Blue Jays look like an undercard in comparison to what awaits next weekend. The Braves will welcome the Nationals to SunTrust Park for a four-game set that begins Thursday and then travel to Nationals Park for a three-game set the following weekend.\n\nWhile there’s certainly reason to get excited about what will likely be the most crucial stretch of the season, the Braves understand the importance of these next three games. They would love to maintain their advantage in the NL East heading into this stretch against the Nationals, who remain a longshot to win the division despite winning 15 of 18 games, dating back to Aug. 11.\n\n• [Freeman exits in precautionary move after HBP](https://www.mlb.com/braves/news/freddie-freeman-exits-after-hit-by-pitch)\n\nThe Braves have won 14 of 18 during this stretch. Consequently, according to [Fangraphs’ projections](https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds), Atlanta has 87.8 percent chance to defend its division crown. With 25 games remaining, the magic number has been reduced to 22.\n\n“The great thing about baseball is you have to go out and do it night in and night out,” Braves third baseman
The Braves altered their look throughout this past month. They acquired three new relievers --
Acuna’s MVP credentials were weakened as he hit .180 and produced a meager .610 OPS while striking out in 37.7 percent of his at-bats over his final 16 games of August. His struggles were balanced by the impressive production provided by
Markakis, Inciarte,
Of course, these recent offensive contributions would have gone for naught without the reliability of the rotation. The Braves' starting pitchers produced the NL’s fourth-best ERA (3.57) in August.